THAILAND - Brit Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride wth gf Yam, 16, Lampang, did not return, found dead in grove in Ban Than, 8 May 2023

[MsMiniSleuth]

A British teenager has been found dead with head wounds in a forest in Thailand - and police are now searching for his missing girlfriend.

Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride with Yam, also 16, in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday but did not return home.

Local police said they received a report on Sunday morning that Ben had been found dead in a grove in the Ban Than district, with injuries resembling blunt force.

Officers reported that the teenager's phone and cash were missing from his shoulder bag, and suggested he might have been robbed.

They believe he was killed elsewhere and left in the woods as there were no signs of struggle. His partner has not been found as of today.

Thai media reported that Ben's body was found by a garbage collector who was at work on Sunday morning.

Police Colonel Sittisak Singtongla, superintendent of the Mae Tha Police, said: 'The station received a notification at 10.15am that a deceased person was found in the undergrowth.'

Investigative teams from Mae Tha Police Station and Lampang provincial investigation team, along with forensics officers, forensic medicine doctors and staff from Tanna Krua Forest Rescue attended the scene.

Thai media reported that the teenager was found with his back against a tree wearing a black long sleeve T-shirt and jeans.

Police said that the body has been taken to hospital for an autopsy.

'We are currently tracking down individuals close to the victim, including his female companion. She is a key figure in this case since she is the last person to see him alive.'

Ben's mother, Ooy Taota, told police that her son had said goodbye to her on Saturday evening and said he was 'going to work with friends' but he did not give any more details to her.

With the news of his death, friends took to Facebook to leave tributes for Taota.

The parents of the missing girl were said to have 'pleaded' with the media to help find their daughter.

British teenager found dead in Thai forest, girlfriend missing

Police officers in Thailand reported that the teenager's phone and cash were missing from his shoulder bag, and suggested he might have been robbed after he was found dead on Sunday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[dotr]

rbbm

Brit boy, 16 feared murdered and dumped in forest as cops search for girlfriend

Woramet Ben Taota, 16, has reportedly been found dead in the Ban Than district of Thailand after it is believed he was murdered and his body dumped in a forest while his girlfriend named Yam is missing

www.mirror.co.uk

''Ben - a keen motocross rider - was lying next to a thicket, wearing a black sweater and grey jeans. His head and face were covered in blood after reportedly being hit repeatedly with a blunt object.

Officers found in his black shoulder bag a smartphone charger and a red wallet containing his ID card and bank card. His smartphone and cash were missing, with police suggesting he could have been robbed.''

''Police believe Ben was killed elsewhere and dumped in the woods as there were no signs of struggle where his remains were found.
His female companion is still missing''.

"We are currently tracking down individuals close to the victim, including his female companion. She is a key figure in this case since she is the last person to see him alive."

 

[otto]

His phone and money are missing, so it looks like a robbery. Is hIs motocross bike missing as well?

I wonder whether his 16 year old female friend has been found.

I was curious about the distance between his home and where the was found. Red dot is body location - unless I have the wrong forest. Lampang is where he lived. That's a long distance.

Do we know how long he was missing before he was reported missing?

Map

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

The heartbroken grandmother of a British teenager found dead with head wounds in a forest in Thailand says she believes he was lured into the woods to his death.

Her comments came as haunting CCTV emerged showing the last sighting of her grandson Woramet Ben Taota, 16, who went for a motorcycle ride with his girlfriend Yam, also 16, in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday.

Dual national Taota borrowed his mother's blue scooter and was seen riding with a girl on the back before he was found dead the next day in Lampang province on May 7. His body was later found in a grove, with injuries resembling blunt force.

His devastated British father Steven Graham, 60, a businessman who runs a thatched property insurance firm, is travelling to Thailand to speak to detectives there, who say they are now searching for a second girlfriend amid fears for her safety following the arrest of a 44-year-old male suspect.

Meanwhile, Ben's grandmother Lilian Graham has told MailOnline she believes he was persuaded to go to the forest where he was murdered.

Grandmother of British boy, 16, fears he was lured to his death

Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride with Yam, also 16, in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday - but his body was later found in a grove, with injuries resembling blunt force.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

His phone and money are missing, so it looks like a robbery. Is hIs motocross bike missing as well?

I wonder whether his 16 year old female friend has been found.

I was curious about the distance between his home and where the was found. Red dot is body location - unless I have the wrong forest. Lampang is where he lived. That's a long distance.

Do we know how long he was missing before he was reported missing?

Map

According to article in post above, there is a SECOND girlfriend they are looking for. The first, Yam, has been found:

"However, there are fears for his second girlfriend Suraphltchaya following the arrest of suspect Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, who had known the pair 'for several years'."

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Mystery surrounds the death of a British teenager in Thailand whose beaten body was found in a forest after he went missing after a motorcycle ride.

Thai police believe 16-year-old Woramet Ben Taota, a dual-national, was murdered after he was found dead in a grove in the Ban Than district on Sunday morning, with blunt force trauma injuries to his face and head.

His phone and money were missing from his shoulder bag, leading to speculation he may have been robbed.

Local media reported that Woramet’s body was found by a rubbish collector who was working in the area at the time. Officers later found his belongings, including a smartphone charger and his ID card and bank card, but his phone and cash were missing.

Mystery over murder of British teen in Thailand who vanished on a motorbike ride

British teen found dead in Thailand

www.independent.co.uk

 

[otto]

There is a confession - murder due to drug deal gone wrong? Where is his 16 year old girlfriend? With the convicted sex offender?

"A British teenager who was found dead with head wounds in a forest in Thailand was murdered by a former convict during an alleged drug deal, according to local police.

CCTV footage showed the last sighting of Woramet Ben Taota, 16, who went for a motorcycle ride with his girlfriend Yam, also 16, in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday.

Officers said Chaiwat Boonkarin, 44, confessed to killing the teenager after an argument broke out, according to the Telegraph.
...

Police Major General Mongkol Sampawapol, commander of Lampang Provincial Police, said officers are still searching for Suraphltchaya as she was 'the last person to see Ben' before he was killed."

Former sex crimes convict admits to murdering British boy, 16

CCTV footage showed the last sighting of Woramet Ben Taota, 16, who went for a motorcycle ride with his girlfriend Yam, also 16, in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

The devastated father of a British boy found battered to death in Thailand has furiously confronted the man who has admitted to murdering his son, screaming at him through the window of a police car: 'Look me in the eye, you b***ard'.

Sex crimes convict Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, said he killed 16-year-old Woramet Ben Taota when a drug deal went wrong, according to Thai police, who today took the suspect to the secluded forest spot where the teenager's body was found.

Ben, a British-Thai dual national, was killed on Saturday. His body was found a day later, prompting his father Steven Graham, 60, to rush to the country by plane.

The businessman, who travelled from his home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, was pictured today wearing a blue t-shirt and glasses as he approached the police car parked near to where his son was killed. It was in the forest that he confronted his son's killer, saying: 'I want to throttle him.'

The window was briefly lowed before Steven shouted: 'Scum, look at me in the eye, look at me in the eye, you b***ard'.

British father whose son was killed inThai forest screams at killer

Sex crimes convict Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, said he hit 16-year-old Woramet Ben Taota with a stick when a drug deal went wrong, according to Thai police.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

The body of a glamorous teenager accused of luring a British boy to his death in Thailand has been found, police announced today.

Dual-national Woramet Ben Taota was beaten to death last Saturday after meeting up with prolific drug dealer Chaiwat Boongarin close to his home in the country’s Lampang’s northern province.

The 16-year-old had been lured there by a 15-year-old girl Suraphltchaya Khamsa who had become associated with the 44-year-old convict as part of a twisted honey-trap.

The pair were last seen riding off together on Saturday night on Ben’s motorbike.

[...]

Police launched a desperate search for Pong, who her family believed was alive but being held against her will.

Her desperate grandfather, 60-year-old farmer Charoon Annaeua told MailOnline: ‘I am very worried about my grand-daughter.

‘It’s been almost a week now and we don’t know what has happened to her.

‘We have been searching for her. We have looked all through the village, the farmland and in the foothills of the mountains.

‘I fear she is being held against her will. It is a terrible thing that Wat has done.’

But this morning officers revealed the grim news that they had found her body buried in woodland just off the main north-south highway near Lampang.

A police source told MailOnline: ‘The search team have found her body.

‘The killer Wat led officers to her grave.

‘She had been murdered and buried in woods by the side of the main highway.’

[...]

Body of girl, 15, accused luring British boy to death found in woods

Dual-national Woramet Ben Taota was beaten to death last Saturday after meeting up with prolific drug dealer Chaiwat Boongarin close to his home in Thailand.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

A grieving British father believes his vulnerable son fell into the clutches of a ruthless drug dealer in Thailand – and was then lured to his death in a honeytrap.

Successful businessman Steven Graham angrily confronted the killer of his son, Woramet Ben Taota this week, as police staged a reconstruction of the murder in the jungle outside Lampang, in the north of the country.

And today the horror worsened as police found the body of tragic 15-year-old Suraphltchaya Khamsa, who was last seen disappearing into the jungle on the back of Ben Taota's blue moped.

Fighting back tears, Mr Graham, 60, screamed 'Look me in the eyes, you b*****d!' at suspect Chaitwat 'Wat' Boongarin, as police held him back.

The boy, whose father knew him as Ben, was found battered to death in woodland outside the remote village in northern Thailand where he had grown up with his Thai mother.

[...]

The parents revealed how police believe Ben was lured to meet his killer by a 15-year-old girl who had become hooked on methamphetamine pills.

Ben had ridden to the secluded spot on his scooter with the girl on the back.

Steve, who runs a business insuring thatched-roof properties, wiped away tears as he told MailOnline: 'Ben was lured to meet his killer in some kind of honey trap set by this young girl.

'She is only 15. She and Ben have known each other since they were young. They were close.

'But she is believed to have been in a relationship with this man Wat.

'He had recently been released from prison and it is clear he was a prolific drug dealer. A very evil man.

'Wat was supplying her with drugs. Somehow Ben got involved with him. This is because the girl was involved.'

[...]

Police are now continuing to interrogate sex crimes convict Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, who allegedly admitted killing Ben but denies murdering Suraphltchaya, whose nickname was Ping Pong. He is likely to face the death penalty if convicted of either or both cases.

[...]

Among the theories being pursed by Thai investigators is that Ben had become caught up in a drug deal and that he was lured to his death in the forest.

His alleged killer, was a supplier of methamphetamine pills. Known locally as 'yaba' a Thai word meaning 'crazy drug', users face up to 20 years in prison.

[quite a long article, more after this]

British father who confronted son's alleged killer speaks of agony

EXCLUSIVE: Steven Graham, 60, angrily confronted the killer of his son Woramet Ben Taota this week following his murder in the jungle outside Lampang, Thailand.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[StillDiggin]

Police have found the body of a missing 15-year-old girl last seen on a motorbike with a British teenager who was later found murdered.

Suraphltchaya Khamsa was discovered today buried in a shallow grave in woodland around three miles from where Woramet Ben Taota, 16, was discovered on May 7.

Convicted criminal Chaiwat 'Wat' Boongarin has admitted to killing the boy, known as Ben, claiming he stole drugs from him, but denies murdering Suraphltchaya.

Missing girl last seen with murdered British teenager found dead in Thailand

It's thought the young friends got involved with a local drug dealer who has confessed to the boy's murder.

metro.co.uk

 

[Dotta]

Body of girl, 15, accused luring British boy to death found in woods

Dual-national Woramet Ben Taota was beaten to death last Saturday after meeting up with prolific drug dealer Chaiwat Boongarin close to his home in Thailand.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Soulmagent]

Police have found the body of a missing 15-year-old girl last seen on a motorbike with a British teenager who was later found murdered.

Suraphltchaya Khamsa was discovered today buried in a shallow grave in woodland around three miles from where Woramet Ben Taota, 16, was discovered on May 7.

Convicted criminal Chaiwat 'Wat' Boongarin has admitted to killing the boy, known as Ben, claiming he stole drugs from him, but denies murdering Suraphltchaya.

Missing girl last seen with murdered British teenager found dead in Thailand

It's thought the young friends got involved with a local drug dealer who has confessed to the boy's murder.

metro.co.uk

What? "Grandmother of British boy, 16, fears he was lured to his death
Local police said they received a report on Sunday morning that Ben had been found dead in a grove in the Ban Than district, with injuries resembling blunt force.

Officers reported that the teenager's phone and cash were missing from his shoulder bag, and suggested he might have been robbed.

They believe he was killed elsewhere and left in the woods as there were no signs of struggle. His partner has not been found as of today.
Body of girl, 15, accused luring British boy to death found in woods

''Suraphltchaya Khamsa was discovered today buried in a shallow grave in woodland around three miles from where Woramet Ben Taota, 16, was discovered on May 7.''

Why bury her and leave Ben all out there like that?

 

[Dotta]

What a terrible tragedy!
2 kids dead because of drugs
RIP
Condolences to families.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

A British boy beaten to death by a drug dealer in Thailand was laid to rest today in a moving Buddhist ceremony.

Woramet Ben Taota, 16, was lured to his death by a friend who had come under the spell of Chaitwat Boogarin, a convicted child-sex offender.

His father, Steven Graham, angrily confronted the murderer last week as police staged a reconstruction of the brutal killing in the jungle outside Lampang, in the north of the country.

He screamed: 'Look me in the eyes, you b*****d!'

Today the successful businessman from East Sussex, and Ben's Thai mother Ooy, broke down in tears as they led mourners at a traditional Buddhist cremation in the lush countryside where he grew up.

Dozens of mourners joined Ben's devastated parents to pay their respects to the popular 16-year-old in an emotional funeral procession through the rural village of Banjua, near Lampang.

Dressed all in black, Steven appeared lost in his grief as he walked alone surrounded by friends and family on the two-mile march to the temple.

Ben's mother Ooy walked at the front of the cortege surrounded by her sisters.

The youngster's remains were carried in a brightly-coloured Thai funeral carriage, some 25ft tall.

Ben's friends from the Sop Prop Motorcycle Club led the way, revving the engines of the motocross bikes that he loved to ride in the surrounding countryside.

[...]

British boy beaten to death in Thailand is laid to rest

Woramet Ben Taota, 16, was lured to his death on May 6 by a friend who had come under the spell of Chaitwat Boogarin, a convicted child-sex offender.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Goecke]

I'm confused about Ben's two girlfriends. The earlier articles state the girl in the pictures is 16-year-old Yam. Then they say Yam is safe but Suraphltchaya is missing. Now one of the same pictures is being used and the article is saying it's 15-year-old Suraphltchaya, who was found murdered. Given that there's more pictures of her and a photo of Suraphltchaya's grandparents holding a pic, it's safe to say that the girl the article was saying is "Yam" was actually Suraphltchaya all along. The article made it sound like LE became aware of Suraphltchaya's disappearance only after Yam was found safe, but clearly they knew about her from the beginning since they had her picture. The initial articles also say that the CCTV footage showed Ben riding his motorcycle with Yam, but then they said the girl was Suraphltchaya.

I would assume that there's only one girl and "Yam" is Suraphltchaya's nickname, but that doesn't account for the age discrepancy and the fact they apparently located Yam safe. I don't know if it's bad reporting or what. I'm not even sure it matters in the long run. It's just really weird to me that the Daily Mail would publish a picture of the girl and say she was found safe, then publish the same picture in a later article saying she was a different girl who was murdered.